REM // Van McCann

25. Company

"Hello," the waitress greeted us. "Table for two?"

We nodded and she seated us near the window. The waitress placed two menus on the table and stepped away to help another table. Now that we were in the restaurant and she was sat right across from me, I could get a better look at her face. I stole glances at her when she opened the menu. Her hair fell in her face and she quickly tucked it behind her ear. She wore light makeup which accentuated her beauty and her lips were shiny from lipgloss. She looked up and I quickly looked down at the menu.

"Do you know what you're getting?" she asked.

"Erm...yeah. I usually get the chicken pesto pasta." I frantically flipped through the menu to try to find it and she watched me curiously. "The garlic seafood pasta is good too. You can't go wrong here, really. And the plates are massive!" I held up my hands to show how big. "And we can share since it's family style." She was hesitant about getting the seafood pasta knowing I was paying for dinner but I didn't mind.

"Don't worry about the cost. I don't mind at all. Unless you're worried about your breath smelling like garlic," I teased. "They're generous with the garlic so don't snog anyone after!" She furrowed her eyebrows.

"Who would I snog?" she asked.

"The cat." She laughed at my answer, remembering how she tricked me.

"After he gave me that dead rat? No thanks."

"I heard cats are clean," I replied, smirking.

"Stop. I'm gonna lose my appetite. Why don't we talk about who you would snog," she asked back, raising her eyebrow.

You, I thought to myself. I imagined what it would be like to cup her face in my hands, pull her close, and taste her. Were those lips as soft as they looked? Afraid she could read my thoughts, I tried to think of something else.

"No one. I've no girlfriend."

It was so silent, I swear everyone in the restaurant heard about my single sorry arse. To make things worse, the waitress came back to take our order and I'm pretty sure she overheard.

"Are you ready to order?" she asked, looking at the both of us. I looked at Clara and she stared at me, wanting me to order.

"Yeah. We'll get the chicken pesto pasta, garlic seafood pasta, and garlic bread." I closed my menu and handed it to her.

"Do you want anything to drink?"

"I'll get a glass of Cabernet. Do you want anything to drink?"

"I'll just have water," she replied. The waitress took our menus and walked back to the kitchen. Clara stared at me as if wanting to ask me something but she was hesitant. After some time, she finally spoke. "You don't have a girlfriend?"

"Do you want to be my girlfriend?" I half joked and she quickly shook her head, embarrassed.

"No! 'Course not!"

"You don't sound so sure. I still think about that love letter you wrote me."

She was turning red, wanting to disappear. I wasn't sure where this bout of confidence came from but I was having fun and wanted to flirt with her. Plus I was still curious about that letter.

"That wasn't a love letter!" she fought back.

"Can I read it then?"

"No!" she said a little too loudly.

She clasped her hands over her mouth in embarrassment. The people next to us were watching us and her face was red like a tomato. I honestly thought she was going to pass out so I figured I better stop. She's very shy so it's difficult to discern if she feels anything towards me. It seems like she gets embarrassed by everything. The waitress came back with my glass of wine and water for the both of us. We thanked her and she promptly left.

"That reminds me...I've been invited to a birthday party this Saturday and was wondering if you wanna go with me. Figured it's a good way to make friends."

"Is it your friend's birthday?"

"I don't know the birthday boy but my friend Rob asked if I wanted to come because he doesn't want to go alone."

She found it odd that I agreed to go and to be honest, I don't know why I said yes. Rob has the ability to guilt you into doing stuff, this being one of them. You've no idea how much stupid shit I agreed to. Even though he's studious and intelligent, he has a wild side to him and enjoys socializing with others. He's the one who convinced me to try ecstasy as he always has drugs on him. I didn't want to tell Clara there will be drugs at the party. She's naive but her intuition keeps her out of trouble.

"You don't have to decide right this minute and it's okay to say no. I just thought I'd extend the invite in case you were interested."

She doesn't seem like the type to enjoy parties. Large crowds make her nervous and interacting with strangers terrifies her but I'm here to help her conquer her fear. I'm teaching her to drive so she can become independent and I'm inviting her out to socialize with others. It's not much but I'm proud that she's willing to try. She never had someone to push her out of her comfort zone; there's a lot to see and experience. The world is a beautiful place.

Her demeanor changed over the last few months. When I first met her, she was shy and broody. It might be that she's getting more comfortable around me but she tells me what's going on in her life and she loves to tease me when she can. It's a shame no one knows how lovely she is. She makes a great friend and no doubt a great lover as she's sensitive and attentive to people's needs.

"I'll think about it," she finally said. Having known her long enough, I know that's a no but she's just too nice to say it. Later on, she'll come up with an excuse to get out of it. I wasn't upset but I'd prefer her to be more upfront.

Our food arrived and we plated our food, getting a healthy serving of both dishes. Even though we only ordered two dishes, it was a lot of food and I knew we wouldn't be able to finish it. Especially not when we've got garlic bread. Clara dipped her bread in the sauce and her eyes brightened when she realized how delicious it was. It was fun watching her eat. Like I said, she's quite expressive and looks like she's eating something for the first time.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked, pointing her bread at me.

"What do ya mean?" I asked innocently. I know I've been caught staring and I wondered if I had a goofy smile on my face.

"Do I have something on my face? Is that why you were smiling?" She put her bread down and brought a napkin to her lips trying to get it off. I didn't want to tell her the real reason I was smiling so I agreed with what she said.

"Yeah, you had some sauce on your face," I lied. She began wiping, looking into her napkin to see if she got it.

"Did I get it? Is it gone?" she asked and I grinned.

"You had nothing on your face. I was just teasin' ya." I just enjoy looking at you. She didn't appreciate my teasing but let it go.

Surprisingly, we finished our food. We took our time, talking and eating, enjoying each other's company. We originally went out to celebrate her accomplishments but it was quickly forgotten. There shouldn't be a reason to celebrate. Sometimes you don't need a reason. Sometimes being in each other's company is good enough.